Dress-form



UNI ED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HALL, OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRESS-FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,239, dated October 12, 1880.

Application filed Apnl 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HALL, of Watertown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dress-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved means for providing the ribs of a dress-form with the desired spring and elasticity necessary in order to make the dress-form adjustable, so as to conform to varying sizes, styles, 850., of dresses, and also to the combination, with such ribs, of a brace of the construction below described.

The nature of the invention in detail is below set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved dress-form closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation open, and placed so as to describe the shape of the present prevailing style of dressviz., with the front portion of the skirt drawn rather near to the form of the wearer, and the rear portion drawn back to allow for a train. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of a rib and the brace connecting the same with the standard. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section of the rib c on line a; m, Fig. 2.

a, is the standard, supported in the pedestal b, of ordinary construction. 0 c are the ribs of the skirt of the dress-form, provided with the elastic band 9 at their upper ends, and at their upper portion with theinternal double stretchers or braces d d, hinged to the ribs 0 c and to the sliding blocks 6 0, whose positions upon the standard are determined by the rests ff, provided with set-screws f.

The stretchers, blocks, rests, and band g and their operation are not new in this invention, and their use is to expand and allow to contract the dress-form at the pleasure of the operator.-

The ribs 0 0, instead of extending each in an unbroken piece for the entire length of the skirt, are provided with springs h h, both ribs and springs being preferably of wood. Each rib c is provided with two springs, h, extending to the next adjacent ribs, the rib being beveled, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to allow the springs to set at the angle shown. The portion of the ribs which receives the upper ends only of the springs is beveled, the extensions 0 0, receiving the lower ends, being made rectangular in shape. The object of setting the upper ends of the springs h h at an angle is to avoid the twisting and straining which would occur when the ribs were stretched apart if this were not done. When eight ribs are used the upper ends of the springs are set at an angle of about twenty-three degrees. Metallic bands To secure the springs firmly to the ribs.

It will be noticed that in the rear portion of the dress-form the springs h are cut off immediately after extending a trifle below the lower bands, is, while in front they are allowed to extend down while the ribs 0 are cut off. The effect is the same in either case, as below the lower bands, k, the springs h cease to be springs, and perform the function only of ribs.

Each of the rear ribs, 0, at its lower extensions, c, is held away from the standard by a single brace, l, hinged to the rib and to the sliding block m, held by the rest at. (Not new in this invention.) The front ribs are supplied at their lower portions with different braces from the braces l,illustrated in Fig.3. These braces consist of two parts, 19 p. The lower piece, 19, is hinged to the sliding block m, and is provided with a metallic band, 8, embracing the piece 10, and the upper piece, 10', is provided with the band 8, which embraces the part 10, and it is hinged to the lower portion, 0, of the front rib, c. A hook, t, extends from the part 1), and is adapted to be placed in one of the holes, p, in the part 0.

In operation, after adjusting the height of the sliding block m by means of the rest n, if it is desired to further adjust a single rib, it may be done by moving relatively the parts of the brace and dropping the hook t into the desired hole p.

By means of the application of the springs h to the ribs strength and firmness are secured and much better elasticity and spring are produced than when the dress-form relied entirely upon the elasticity of an unbroken rib.

The brace p p, as will be readily perceived,

allows of a very considerable degree of adjustment without injury to its stiffness.

IOO

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dress-f0rm. the combination, with the 5 ribs 0, of the springs h, each pair of springs having their upper ends secured to a single rib and their lower ends to the two ribs next the said single rib, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

IO 2. The combination of the springs h with the ribs 0, arranged as described, the springs having their upper ends secured to beveled sides and their lower ends to rectangular sides of said ribs, for the purpose of preventing specified.

JOHN HALL. Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, B. W. WrLLIAMs. 

